Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 56, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

December 23, 2002Houston County, Madison County, Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 23, 2002, 8:28 PM CST for Houston County, Madison County, Texas. It was in force for 62 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Dec 23, 2002, 8:28 PM CST (02:28 UTC)
Expired
Dec 23, 2002, 9:30 PM CST
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Houston County, TX, Madison County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 23, 9:17 PM CSTHail 0.75Kennard, TX0.75 inch hail.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 23, 7:10 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 218 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Shreveport, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 335 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
354 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
82 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
335 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
400 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

479 
WFUS54 KHGX 240228
TORHOU
TXC225-313-240330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
828 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LEAGUE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HOUSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS
  MADISON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

* UNTIL 930 PM CST

* AT 825 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING A TORNADO 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MIDWAY...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDE...
  MIDWAY
  AUSTONIO
  LOVELADY
  CROCKETT
  LATEXO
  KENNARD

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM AND HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING GOLFBALL 
SIZED HAIL. 

MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON YOUR CAR
OR MOBILE HOME FOR A STRONG SHELTER NOW

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE COUNTY SHERIFF...LOCAL POLICE...
OR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 3104 9592 3090 9579 3130 9515 3145 9506
          3157 9525

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 23, 6:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX49 min
Dec 23, 6:47 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBurleson43 min
Dec 23, 7:11 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXBrazos49 min
Dec 23, 7:38 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXGrimes, Madison52 min
Dec 23, 7:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX54 min
Dec 23, 8:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX58 min
Dec 23, 8:06 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXWashington54 min
Dec 23, 9:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX30 min
Dec 23, 9:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX43 min
Dec 23, 9:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX51 min
Dec 23, 9:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX53 min
Dec 23, 9:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX37 min
Dec 23, 9:38 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXHarris37 min
Dec 23, 9:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX44 min
Dec 23, 9:50 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX2 hr
Dec 23, 10:17 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXLiberty28 min
Dec 23, 10:20 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX100 min
Dec 23, 10:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGX31 min
Dec 23, 11:52 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningHGX68 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.